What does “miseru” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “miseru” to mean ‘to show’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “miseru” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “miseru”
- Misenai: the nai form of “miseru”
- Miseyou: the volitional form of “miseru”
- Misemasu: the masu form of “miseru”
- Miseta: the ta form of “miseru”
- Misete: the te form of “miseru”
- Misereba: the ba form of “miseru”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “miseru”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “miseru”.
- miseru – 見せる (みせる) : a verb meaning ‘to show’ in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “shows” in Japanese
kanojo wa tokidoki namida wo miseru – 彼女は時々涙を見せる (かのじょはときどきなみだをみせる)
She sometimes shows her tears.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- namida – 涙 (なみだ) : a noun meaning ‘tear’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “namida” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “miseru”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to show’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “miseru” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “misenai”.
Misenai: the nai form of “miseru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “misenai”.
- misenai – 見せない (みせない) : the nai form of “miseru”, which means ‘not to show’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “misenai” consists of the following two parts:
- mise – 見せ (みせ) : one conjugation of “miseru”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “misenai” is literally the nai form of “miseru” and means ‘not to show’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “doesn’t show” in Japanese
watashi no kareshi wa namida wo misenai – 私の彼氏は涙を見せない (わたしのかれしはなみだをみせない)
My boyfriend doesn’t show his tears.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “misenai”. When we want to mean ‘not to show’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Miseyou: the volitional form of “miseru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “miseyou”.
- miseyou – 見せよう (みせよう) : the volitional form of “miseru”, which expresses volition to show.
Grammatically, “miseyou” consists of the following two parts:
- mise – 見せ (みせ) : one conjugation of “miseru”. This can have a smooth connection with “you”.
- you – よう : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “miseyou” is literally the volitional form of “miseru” and expresses volition to show. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s show” in Japanese
karera ni watashi tachi no ai wo miseyou – 彼等に私達の愛を見せよう (かれらにわたしたちのあいをみせよう)
Let’s show them our love!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “karera” to indicate the object to which the action described by “miseyou” goes.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
- ai – 愛 (あい) : a noun meaning ‘love’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “miseyou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s show” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Misemasu: the masu form of “miseru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “misemasu”.
- misemasu – 見せます (みせます) : the masu form of “miseru”, which means ‘to show’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “misemasu” consists of the following two parts:
- mise – 見せ (みせ) : one conjugation of “miseru”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “misemasu” is literally the masu form of “miseru” and means ‘to show’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “show” politely in Japanese
boku no koibito mo tokidoki namida wo misemasu – 僕の恋人も時々涙を見せます (ぼくのこいびともときどきなみだをみせます)
My girlfriend sometimes shows her tears, too.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- koibito – 恋人 (こいびと) : a noun meaning ‘girlfriend’, ‘boyfriend’, or just ‘lover’ in Japanese.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘as well’, or ‘too’. In the example, this works after “boku no koibito” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
This is a typical usage of “misemasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “show” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Miseta: the ta form of “miseru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “miseta”.
- miseta – 見せた (みせた) : the ta form of “miseru”, which means ‘showed’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “miseta” consists of the following two parts:
- mise – 見せ (みせ) : one conjugation of “miseru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “miseta” is literally the ta form of “miseru” and means ‘showed’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “showed” in Japanese
kanojo wa boku ni akumu wo miseta – 彼女は僕に悪夢を見せた (かのじょはぼくにあくむをみせた)
She showed me a nightmare.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- akumu – 悪夢 (あくむ) : a noun meaning ‘nightmare’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “miseta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “miseru”, this ta form is the best option.
Misete: the te form of “miseru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “misete”.
- misete – 見せて (みせて) : the te form of “miseru”, which means ‘to show’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “misete” consists of the following two parts:
- mise – 見せ (みせ) : one conjugation of “miseru”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “misete” is literally the te form of “miseru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make a chronological order in a sentence. So, “misete” is very useful when we want to implement the order into a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to show’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “shows and” in Japanese
kanojo wa boku ni namida wo misete warau – 彼女は僕に涙を見せて笑う (かのじょはぼくになみだをみせてわらう)
She shows me her tears and then smiles.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- warau – 笑う (わらう) : a verb meaning ‘to smile’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “misete”. In this example, it works to make the chronological order in the sentence.
Misereba: the ba form of “miseru”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “misereba”.
- misereba – 見せれば (みせれば) : the ba form of “miseru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to show’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “misereba” consists of the following two parts:
- misere – 見せれ (みせれ) : one conjugation of “miseru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “misereba” is literally the ba form of “miseru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “misereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to show’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if show” in Japanese
kimi ga namida wo misereba, boku mo kanashii yo – 君が涙を見せれば、僕も悲しいよ (きみがなみだをみせれば、ぼくもかなしいよ)
If you show me your tears, I’ll be sad, too.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kimi – 君 (きみ) : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kimi” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the second clause to state the speaker’s idea softly.
This is a typical usage of “misereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kimi ga namida wo misereba”, which means ‘if you show me your tears’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to show’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “miseru” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- miseru – 見せる (みせる) : a verb meaning ‘to show’ in Japanese.
- misenai – 見せない (みせない) : the nai form of “miseru”, which means ‘not to show’ in Japanese.
- miseyou – 見せよう (みせよう) : the volitional form of “miseru”, which expresses volition to show.
- misemasu – 見せます (みせます) : the masu form of “miseru”, which means ‘to show’ politely in Japanese.
- miseta – 見せた (みせた) : the ta form of “miseru”, which means ‘showed’ in Japanese.
- misete – 見せて (みせて) : the te form of “miseru”, which means ‘to show’ in Japanese. When we want to make a chronological order in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to show’, this te form is a good option.
- misereba – 見せれば (みせれば) : the ba form of “miseru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to show’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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